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<p>Chick lit narratives by minority Muslim women writers highlight young Muslim women’s lives and their practice of spouse-searching amidst religious and cultural influences. Drawing on Amal Awad’s <i>Courting Samira</i> (2011), Randa Abdel-Fattah’s <i>No Sex in the City</i> (2012) and Ayisha Malik’s <i>Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged</i> (2015), this article aims to examine if minority Muslim women exercise their agency in their daily lives and quest for spouse-searching. It also intends to analyse the locus of control of their agency. The methodology uses verses from the Islamic religious texts, the Qur’an and the hadith, supported by studies by Muslim scholars as a lens to examine the agency of the minority Muslim women. The finding indicates there exists agency within the self-identity of minority Muslim women that dictates their lives and the direction of their romantic relationships. It also proposes “double agency” or the coexistence of individual and communal agency, thus portraying how Muslim women’s locus of control is not only rooted in the self but also in the family and community. In conclusion, Awad’s, Abdel-Fattah’s and Malik’s novels serve as case studies for double agency among minority Muslim women within the Western context of Australia and Britain. Understanding Muslim women’s agency as operating through multiple loci of control contributes positively to recognizing diversity in Muslim women’s identity, showing that agency is not monolithic. It also highlights their affirmation of autonomy and capacity to make choices.</p>

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Double agency in selected Muslim chick lit narratives

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月28日

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  • Siti Hawa Muhamad,
  • Raihanah M.M.

摘要

Chick lit narratives by minority Muslim women writers highlight young Muslim women’s lives and their practice of spouse-searching amidst religious and cultural influences. Drawing on Amal Awad’s Courting Samira (2011), Randa Abdel-Fattah’s No Sex in the City (2012) and Ayisha Malik’s Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged (2015), this article aims to examine if minority Muslim women exercise their agency in their daily lives and quest for spouse-searching. It also intends to analyse the locus of control of their agency. The methodology uses verses from the Islamic religious texts, the Qur’an and the hadith, supported by studies by Muslim scholars as a lens to examine the agency of the minority Muslim women. The finding indicates there exists agency within the self-identity of minority Muslim women that dictates their lives and the direction of their romantic relationships. It also proposes “double agency” or the coexistence of individual and communal agency, thus portraying how Muslim women’s locus of control is not only rooted in the self but also in the family and community. In conclusion, Awad’s, Abdel-Fattah’s and Malik’s novels serve as case studies for double agency among minority Muslim women within the Western context of Australia and Britain. Understanding Muslim women’s agency as operating through multiple loci of control contributes positively to recognizing diversity in Muslim women’s identity, showing that agency is not monolithic. It also highlights their affirmation of autonomy and capacity to make choices.